April 6, 2021 (2021-04-06) – January 19, 2024 (2024-01-19)
Chad is an American television sitcom created by Nasim Pedrad, who also stars as the title role in the series. The series premiered on April 6, 2021 on TBS.
In February 2016, Chad was originally sold to Fox and ordered for a series in 2016 titled Chad: An American Boy with the original concept about a "14-year-old boy in the throes of adolescence who is tasked with being the man of the house", with the original pilot written by Pedrad and Rob Rosell.[3] In August 2016, it was announced that the series would not be moving forward at Fox and would be shopped to other networks. In May 2019, the series was picked up by TBS for a 10-episode order. In May 2021, the series was renewed for a second season.[4] In July 2022, TBS announced that while the second season of Chad had been filmed, that no third season would be ordered, along with the show being canceled hours before its premiere, as the channel was pivoting away from original scripted content.[5]
On October 26, 2022, The Roku Channel acquired the series and aired the second season[6] on January 19, 2024.[7]
On May 7, 2024, The Roku Channel cancelled the series after the second season.[8]
Premise
Chad (Pedrad) is a 14-year-old Persian-American boy on a mission to become popular as he navigates his first year of high school. During the first season, Chad's friendships and sanity are pushed to the limits as he uses every tactic at his disposal to befriend the cool kids while enduring his mother's new dating life and reconciling with his cultural identity.[9]
When Chad finds Naz and Ikrimah in bed together, he finds a liking to Ikrimah as a father figure. Later, when Chad finds out that the two had broken up, he and his friend, Peter, go to Ikrimah's house.
Chad is put to the test, when he is put in charge of Niki, and when he allows her to go to a party, he finds her and a group of friends drinking. He takes a drink at the party as well, and the two sneak home.
Chad's uncle Hamid is visiting, and Chad is desperate to get some new shoes, specifically the new LeBrons. While waiting in line for the shoes, Chad tells Hamid to stay outside. When Chad goes into the shoe store to get the shoes, and he is ready to purchase them, he is told that he cannot purchase the shoes with Hamid's credit card, unless Hamid is present. Later, Chad, Hamid, and two other men, Farhad and Mohsen, go to a guy named Pasha from the Black Market to get the shoes. When Chad brings the shoes to school, Reid and his friends tell him the shoes are fake.
On February 10, 2016, it was reported that a comedy starring Nasim Pedrad was given a pilot order at Fox.[19] On August 5, 2016, it was announced that the idea would not be moving forward at Fox, and would be shopped elsewhere to broadcast, cable and streaming networks.[20] On May 15, 2019, TBS gave Chad a series order, along with the first trailer of the series being released.[21] On May 19, 2021, TBS renewed the series for a second season; which was scheduled to premiere on July 11, 2022.[22][23] Instead, hours before the second season was scheduled to premiere, TBS canceled the series.[24]
In October 2022, The Roku Channel acquired the series and premiered the second season on January 19, 2024.[6][7]
On May 7, 2024, The Roku Channel cancelled the series after the second season.[8]
Filming
In 2021, the series relocated its production from British Columbia to California, to take advantage of tax incentives provided by the California Film Commission.[25]
Reception
Viewership
Chad debuted as the top-rated scripted cable program of 2021. The series premiere received 1.9 million viewers across two airings, with 765,000 viewers in the targeted 18-49 demographic.[26]
Critical response
On review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the first seasons holds an approval rating of 81% based on 16 reviews, with an average rating of 7.80/10. The website's consensus reads, "Chad's caustic humor can be downright painful, but Nasim Pedrad's commitment to the bit gives this adolescent farce a heart."[27] On Metacritic, the season has a 65 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[28]
